Break The Mould This Christmas And Do Something Different With Your Gifts

With Christmas looming around the corner, the stress is on. You need to find dozens of unique and interesting presents, some of which, for people you barely even know. This time of year is hard for everyone, but the challenge shouldn’t take away the festive fun. It’s easier than ever to be creative when it comes to buying gifts. Using the Internet and the tips from this post, you will find Christmas shopping a breath of fresh air, this year.

Preplanning

The best way to start this great endeavor is by putting on your thinking cap. You’re not ready to hit the shops yet! Each person you’re shopping for is going to have an intricate array of interests and desires. Your job is to translate this into the perfect gift.

Think about what you know about a person. Their hobbies and interests are very important, as well as their age and gender. Once you have established the things they enjoy, you can start thinking of the actual gifts. With each idea, you need to run down a checklist.

Will they like it?

Does it match their current interests?

Is it appropriate for them?

And can you see anyone else buying the same gift?

Of course, some of these are hard to answer. The first two questions can almost be rolled into one. The first point is more to establish how certain you are that they will like the gift. If you are doubtful, and that “will” becomes a “might,” it’s probably not a great gift. You never want to try and force a new hobby or interest on someone. Which is what the second point is for; if the gift doesn’t match what they already do, it will likely go untouched after the big day. The third point is pretty self-explanatory, but the fourth isn’t. Think about the receiver’s social circles, and try to decide whether or not someone else might buy the same gift.

Inspiration

If you’re struggling with preplanning, you’ll need a touch of inspiration. Here is where the Internet first comes in. There are loads of quirky and unique gift stores online. Although a lot of them are expensive, they’re great to give you some ideas. There are loads of sites around to inspire unique and unusual gift ideas, like Cuckooland or Hawkin’s Bazaar. These sites will often allow you to search by hobbies and gender/age, making it super easy to find what you need.

Be Creative

Be creative in all of your gift hunting. Use things like social media, to find out what people talk to their closest friends about. Talk to as many people who know the giftee as possible. The more you know about a person; the easier it is to find a gift.

If your biggest concern is the budget this holiday season, well thought out homemade gifts always go down well. If you have any skill, find a way to use it. The weirder and more unique, the better.

Hopefully, this will take away some of that seasonal stress we all know too well. Remember to put the effort in before you buy a gift, and that price isn’t everything.